The South-East Zonal Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Engr Chigozie Igwe, has urged the people of the region to remain steadfast with the party.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress-led federal government has nothing to offer Ndigbo. Engr Igwe stated this in an interview with THE WHISTLER in Enugu.
He however admitted that the people of the region have been shortchanged in the political distribution of the PDP. According to Igwe, “Ndigbo were key in the formation of PDP from 1999. Former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme was prevented from emerging as the party’s presidential candidate in 1999. That was done by the military anyway. Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s observation that PDP hasn’t been fair to Ndigbo is right, but I also know that under Jonathan as president, Ndigbo got some few things.
“We have not gotten anything from any other party since then, so by the time you say PDP has not been kind to Ndigbo, the question is: has any other party been kind to Ndigbo? At the end of the day, it is the same PDP that has given Ndigbo whatever they have gotten. APC has no business with Ndigbo. PDP remains the option that Ndigbo have. If you say PDP has not been fair, you are being comparative. Who are you comparing PDP with? Is it the APC? PDP has done better for Ndigbo.”
He attributed the Igbo marginalisation in the nation’s polity to the general unfavourable Igbo factor in Nigeria.
Quoting him, “We have our problems generally; it is a Nigerian problem of trying to keep Ndigbo down. Some people are threatened by the mindset of Ndigbo: their industry and their ability to survive in open contests. Because others are threatened by the Igbo resilience, they find a way to keep them down by not creating a level playing field.”
He advised the Nigerian populace to have faith in PDP, noting that the forthcoming PDP convention would reposition PDP to outwit the ruling APC come 2027 general elections.
